There is an urgent need for the development of a rapid, affordable, sample-in answer-out point of care (POC) diagnostic platform for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 499 million new cases of curable STIs, namely those due to Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) and Syphilis occur every year worldwide in men and women aged 15-49 years, causing significant morbidity and mortality. Untreated gonococcal and chlamydial infections in women in sub-Saharan Africa have been implicated as the cause of up to 85% of infertility among women seeking infertility intervention.
C. trachomatis is responsible for the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US. Chlamydia can cause urethritis in men and pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women. Asymptomatic infections are common both in men and women which warrants screenings to prevent the spread of the disease (as recommended by the CDC).